Moonlight Murders
by dana-maru1
Summary: COMPLETE! The Team investigate a case involving the murders of women in the DC area, one of the team becomes the object of the killer's ... "affections" Can the team save her in time!
1. Walk in the Park

It was a dark, cold and windy night. The midnight sky was clear of clouds and glittered with stars. A tall, slender woman walked alone through the park, taking the short root to the morgue. She drew her trench coat tighter around her body, shivering, as each gust of wind grew stronger and colder. Autumn had brought brown, gold and red leaves to the ground and she marvelled at the sight of the colours under a bright full moon. She sensed movement not far behind her and whipped round to reveal nothing. There was nothing around, as far as she could see, but a vast expanse of more dead leaves and the long stretch of trees following along the path to her left. Shrugging, she kept walking until she felt the hairs on the back of her neck bristle. She was sure she was being watched. This time she didn't bother to turn, her breath quickened, as did her pace. Walking a lot faster now, she couldn't help but continuously look over her shoulder. There were just too many murders these days not to be slightly paranoid when walking alone at night, yet she couldn't see anyone.

She could finally see the gate at the other side of the park. A sign of freedom, and safety with so much more people around on the main street. Sighing with relief at the sight of the wrought iron exit, she broke into a run, sprinting towards the busy street. Only she never made it ...

Well this is the beginning of my very first Sue Thomas F.B.Eye fanfiction, I hope you like it so far. Please bear with me, my muse tends to come and go as it pleases so I don't know how often this'll be updated. Remember though, that feedback feeds my muse and thus you'll get more frequent updates!


	2. New Case

The full moon of that night gave way to the sun and the agents filed into the bullpen one by one. Myles and Tara arrived earliest. Then Jack arrived at the same time as D and Bobby. And finally Sue walked in with Levi and Lucy. Before anyone even had the chance to settle down properly, Ted Garrett walked in with a case file in his hand.

"Listen up everyone, we got a new case. A woman was killed last night in a park not far from the morgue downtown, SOG are on stand by, waiting to go over the crime scene. Jack, you're in charge of this case, I want you to brief everyone then meet with SOG."

"Yes, sir."

Ted handed the case file to Jack and walked out of the room, leaving Jack to review the case before he could brief the rest of the team.

Sue, along with the rest of the team, watched Jack intently until he was ready to fill them in. Finally, after fifteen minutes or so scrutinising the file, Jack asked Tara to upload some photos on the projector.

"Okay, guys, what we have here is a woman by the name of Sarah Timmons. Age 29, worked as a forensic pathologist. Two joggers discovered her body, in a park across from Quantico morgue where she worked, early this morning..."

He paused to let everyone take a look at her battered body. She lay flat on her back, her hair tousled and covered in dead leaves. Her arms were straight out beside her and her legs straight, and through her heart a silver dagger protruded. They stared at the photo, shocked, for quite a while until, finally Sue spoke,

"Tara, could you zoom in on the dagger please?"

Jack looked at her, puzzled but said nothing.

" A little more... Damn, it's too small; I can't read it."

She had noticed the slip of pink paper; almost identical in colour to the shirt Sarah was wearing. But in the scale of the photo, the writing was virtually impossible to read.

"Okay, Tara, I want you and Lucy to find out anything you can about Sarah, see if we can contact family and friends ... D, Bobby, Myles - go talk to our first witnesses. Sue, call SOG, you and I will meet them at the crime scene."

Almost before Jack was finished giving out orders, the rest of the team had begun to follow them. Sue went to get her coat, then followed Jack to his car with Levi in tow.

Since I'm from Scotland, I know next to nothing about American geography so please don't flame me for it! The whole story's written and waiting for reviews lol


	3. Anything?

Myles, D and Bobby set of to question the witnesses. What little there was of them. The two joggers could only retell the story that they'd already conveyed to the police. Signifying that, still, they were of no help whatsoever. And an elderly woman who _thought_ she'd seen a woman walking briskly through the park in a long coat at around 10pm... but wasn't too sure. Not a lot of help there either, then...

Sue and Jack arrived at the park ten minutes after leaving the FBI building, SOG were almost done examining the scene, and Sarah's battered body lay in an open body bag. Sue stared at the body, completely horrified and quickly turned away, on the verge of revisiting the Krispy Kreme doughnut she'd had that morning.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, concern written all over his face,

"Yeah... It's just; it's one thing to see photos but when you see the real thing up close..."

"I know what you mean. Ten years in and it still turns my stomach!"

He pulled her into a hug, much for his own comfort as for hers. Gently stroking her hair, he felt the familiar overwhelming urge to kiss her. He'd been getting that urge a lot lately, actually. His thoughts were soon interrupted when a member of SOG approached the pair.

"Got anything?"

"Agent Hudson, if I didn't know any better, I'd say this was the 'perfect crime', no distinctive footprints, no fibers, no fingerprints... All we got is this note, but all that say's is "A woman's" so I doubt that will help much, though it does look like it's only the beginning of a message."

"Thanks Graham, well I guess we'll be going now. Update the team and all."

"Yeah, see you, hopefully not too soon."

Jack smiled faintly, and led Sue back to the car. Closing the back door after letting Levi in, he opened the door on the driver's side, sat in the car and let out an exasperated sigh. Sensing how tense he was, Sue placed a gentle hand on his forearm and signed to him that they'd find something eventually. He turned to face her, his left hand resting on her right cheek, softly stroking her cheek with his thumb and jumped when the shrill sound of his cell phone interrupted the peaceful silence. _Damn it! _He thought, pressing the answer button,

"Hudson..."

"Jack, mate, it's Bobby. I think you and Sue should get back here, pronto."

"What's -" He heard the line go dead and muttered "...up" under his breath, then turned the key in his ignition and drove as fast as he could - without exceeding the speed limit - back to the bullpen.


	4. Gone?

Jack's car screeched to a halt in the parking garage, and with Sue in tow, rushed up the stairs having been too impatient to wait for the elevator. Bursting into the bullpen, Sue and Levi followed at his heels and all of them stopped, panting for breath.

"Hmm, you're both looking rather _flustered_; did Crash here interrupt something when he called?" Myles deadpanned, his way of teasing them. Jack shot him a look, leading Myles to think _Boy, if looks could kill_ but he said nothing.

"Alright, would anyone like to fill me in on what's so urgent?" Jack asked impatiently, still breathing heavily."

"We received a call just before Bobby called you, DCPD found another woman, on the opposite end of the morgue..." Lucy began, and D cut in with

"Looks to be the same MO - but forensics estimate her time of death almost exactly the same time as Sarah..."

"Something is different about this one though" Bobby put in his two cents

"This victim, Sharlene Temple, aged 24; teacher at Quantico is ... or rather _was_ deaf." Chimed in Tara, countered by Lucy

"Actually, the only thing different in this is the names and physical appearances of the victims, I pulled Sarah's medical files just now and she was also oral deaf."

"So we have two peroxide blonde Quantico employees, both oral deaf, killed at opposite ends of the building they work in, at the same time and seemingly by the same guy."

"My guess, Jack, is that there is more than one killer, collaborating in this."

"Was there a note left on Sharlene's body?" Sue asked,

"Yes, this time there's more to the message - it says 'A woman's place is ...', my guess is he isn't finished yet." Tara answered, whilst enlarging the image of the note one the white screen.

By the time the team had finished contacting everyone they knew to be in connection with the latest victim, the sun had given way to dark skies and a bright full moon. This time though, they had gotten a partial fingerprint and Jack decided that they could wait for the results until morning.

"Okay, guys, let's call it a night and we can get back to business bright and early tomorrow."

The team nodded in agreement and started gathering coats on their way out the door. Sue was first to leave, saying she'd meet Lucy in the parking lot. However, when Lucy got to the parking lot, there was no sign of Sue or Levi. Just a small pool of blood on the ground next to the car ...


	5. 20 Minutes Too Far?

Jack heard Lucy's scream on the way down the last flight of stairs and nearly fell down the last steps as he broke into a run. He skidded to a halt at her side, breathless, and the first thing he saw was the blood. It was smudged, as though someone had been dragged but the trail didn't go very far, it stopped only two feet in front of Jack. The pool of blood wasn't big enough to indicate a serious injury but the mere fact that there _was_ blood made Jack feel as though his heart was plummeting into his stomach. Helping Lucy back to her feet, from her sitting position against the car, Jack took out his cell phone,

"Bobby, it's Jack, get the team down here _now_!"

Almost before he'd put the cell phone back in his pocket, he could hear the sound of shoes on metal as the rest of the team sprinted down the staircase. Bobby was the first to emerge through the heavy door - nearly ripping it from its hinges - and he, too, stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the blood. Tara, who had been right at his back, slammed into him.

"Ouch, I think Tara needs new brakes on those heels of hers."

Bobby made an attempt at a joke as Tara moved to stand at his side,

"Or maybe next time you can warn me if you're gonna just stop like that..."

She trailed off, noticing the blood as well and was fast on her cell phone to get forensics to the scene.

"Well, there's no point in me trying to get any sleep now; I'm going back upstairs if anyone would care to join me, feel free."

It didn't sound like the rest of the team really had a choice so they simply nodded their agreement and followed Jack back to the bullpen while the forensics team scoured the scene for fingerprints and anything else they could use.

The phone on Jack's desk was already ringing when he got to it. He picked up the receiver, gesturing to Tara who picked up her own ready to trace the call if they got the chance.

"Hudson."

"Ah, hello Jack, I thought I'd reach you here when you realized your precious team member was missing. Don't worry, she's fine... for now."

"Who the hell is this?!"

Jack found himself yelling at the strange voice. Though it wasn't completely unfamiliar to him, he couldn't place where he'd heard it before.

"Jack, Jack, Jack, you don't need to know that information but I will tell you this; A woman's place is in the kitchen."

"What?" Jack asked confused, but soon remembered the notes that had been left on other victims. The caller didn't answer him, instead all Jack could hear was a dial tone as the line went dead.

"Tara?"

"Got it, call traced to a payphone, not far from here. Just 20 minutes, in fact."

"That could be twenty minutes too far."

Jack replied, his hope in finding Sue dwindling upon hearing the last of the message. Surely, that meant she was gone.

**__**

If you want to know if she is in fact gone or not, then I suggest you get reviewing!


	6. Found!

Sue watched her kidnapper paint the words. Thick, red paint dripped from the wall and her eyes widened in horror as the man finished and forced her to read the writing.

A WOMAN'S PLACE IS IN THE KITCHEN. BUT A DEAF WOMAN BELONGS NOWHERE!

He had finished the whole message this time, which surely meant she was about to die. She was too weak to fight him off. He hadn't fed her in the two days she'd been held captive, and barely let her take a sip of water. She knew she didn't stand a chance, merely sending a silent prayer heavenward and bracing herself for the impact as he advanced toward her. _Please God let Jack find me before it's too late!_

In the dark corner, she couldn't see what he was saying, so he didn't bother talking, just yanked her violently to her feet and held her by the throat against the wall. He raised his right arm, and she tensed, her scream barely making it past her lips her throat was so dry. The moonlight made the silver dagger sparkle briefly as he brought it down toward her. What he didn't realize though, was that Levi had chewed his way out of the rope that tethered him to a pipe in the dank basement. Thus, he wasn't prepared for the blow to his shoulder when the golden retriever pounced on him, knocking him to the ground. But not before the dagger was forced between two ribs. Although, thanks to Levi it missed her heart. The dull thud of the assailant hitting the ground was met with the crash of metal on concrete as Jack and the rest of the team kicked the door leading to the basement open.

He almost smiled when he saw that Levi had kept the man pinned to the ground, but when he saw the words painted on the wall any hint of a smile vanished. And his shock was evident when his roaming eyes rested on Sue's cowering figure. Her clothes were coated in a thick layer of dust and grime, her lower lip was split and she had a purple bruise around her left eye. Her wrists bore the marks of rope tied too tight, and when he went over to help her stand again, she noticeably winced. _Jesus, what the hell did that bastard do to her? Looks like her rib's broken... _He thought, then he noticed the dagger.

Wrapping an arm gently around her waist, avoiding putting any more pressure on the weapon, he began leading her toward the exit. He thought he would have another heart attack when he saw who it was Bobby and D had handcuffed in front of them, his eyes widened in shock, which quickly turned to anger as he saw the smirk on the man's face.

"We meet again, Hudson." The man spoke, with a mocking tone in his voice.

"Hopefully for the last time Hadley, this time I'll make sure you rot in a prison cell you sick bastard!"

"Looks like revenge wasn't so sweet after all, eh mate?" Bobby snarled at Pete before pushing him roughly through the door to take him to one of the squad cars, and then hopefully a life long stay in prison. Jack turned to Sue, taking a hold of her hand as the tears she'd held back finally were shed.

"Oh Jack," she sighed heavily, "I thought I'd never see you again! Thought I'd never get the chance to tell you I ..." her voice trailed off, the events of the past days finally catching up to her, and she passed out. Jack carried her out to the waiting ambulance and stayed with her to the hospital. The rest of the team followed behind the ambulance in their cars, all silently praying that she'd be okay.

The whole team, including Jack sat in the waiting room whilst Sue's stab wound was stitched up and her other cuts and bruises were seen to. When the consultant finally walked toward them, Jack leapt up from his seated position to ask how Sue was and if they could see her.

"The worst was the stab wound, which needed stitches, she has some other lacerations but they aren't deep enough to warrant any treatment further than a few bandages. She's very dehydrated, and quite out of it, so if you _must_ see her, go one at a time, and I want all of you out of here within the next half-hour."

"Thanks Dr. Sarkisian." Jack said hurriedly before heading toward the room. He looked through the glass in the door, and decided to let the rest of the team go in before him. When, after what seemed like an eternity to him, it was Jack's turn to see her, he inhaled deeply before walking tentatively into the room. It broke his heart to see her hooked up to the heart monitor and IV drip. The team had warned him that she drifted in and out of consciousness so might be asleep but when he entered, she was awake and smiling at him. So he stepped closer and sat in the chair beside her bed and took her hand.

"Hi..."

"Hi... I'm so glad you're alright!"

"Me too! It's good to get out of that place..."

"No kidding! Um... Sue?"

"What is it Jack?"

"What were you going to say before you passed out?"

"What?" She asked him, with a confused look on her face, then realization dawned and her face flushed bright pink, "Oh, um ... nothing!" She said a little louder than she wanted to. He chuckled slightly and asked again.

"Fine, but I don't know if you'll like it."

"Come on Sue, I can handle it."

"I _was_ going to say that I ..." She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"You what?"

"I _think_ she was going to say she loves you, Jack!"

He turned around, looking obviously confused at what Lucy just said. And Sue signed

"_I'm going to kill you!" _To Lucy while Jack's back was turned. She signed back

"_Well it's true isn't it?"_

"Yes but I told you, I didn't want to tell him!"

Jack turned back around to face Sue just as she signed the last part, and smiled to himself, then signed,

_"I'm glad you did tell me, well Lucy told me, but I'm still glad I know because now I can finally tell you; I love you too."_

Jack's back was to Lucy so she didn't catch the exchange, but got the gist of it when he leaned forward and kissed Sue softly on the lips. And, silently punching the air, she left to inform the team of the latest update on their favorite "Undercover Couple".

**__**

THE END


End file.
